Annual Open Morning - Saturday 5 October

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)

All Sixth Form students undertake an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). We follow the AQA specification, which allows students to develop a range of study skills in choosing a topic, planning, researching and developing their proposed project. The final project outcome can take several forms – whilst most students opt to produce a research based written report of 5,000 words, others choose to produce an artefact (e.g. a piece of art) or a performance (e.g. a charity event), accompanied by a written report of 1,000 words. Students are also required to deliver a presentation about their project to a small audience and to complete a Production Log that documents their decision-making skills at each stage.

Each student is assigned an experienced EPQ supervisor to help guide them through each stage of the process. Students also receive group sessions that form part of the Taught Skills Programme, where they develop their research skills in a classroom setting.

The focus of the EPQ is predominately on the journey that students take, rather than the outcome of their project. We are immensely proud of the achievements of all our EPQ students, whose past project proposals have focused on topics as diverse as banking regulations, capital punishment, personalised medicines as the future of breast cancer therapeutics, the impact of humans on animal migration, and the exploration of the parallel universe theory through the medium of short stories.

The EPQ is equivalent to half an A level. It is highly regarded by universities; it helps students to develop a range of academic skills that are directly relevant to undergraduate study, allowing universities to differentiate between equally strong applicants in an increasingly competitive market.